Two weeks ago Anna-Lee Policicchio became the first Sault Ste. Marie native ever named to Canada’s junior women’s national basketball team.

Last week she was practising with the national squad in southern Ontario in preparation for competition in France and Spain, and later this month at the 2013 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Under-19 World Championships in Lithuania.

But her dream of suiting up with the national team came to an end when she suffered a broken finger during training camp at Oshawa’s Durham College that will sideline her for at least the next four weeks.

However, the 18-year-old is taking the setback in stride, knowing the country’s top senior coaches have seen her play during scrimmages and have a good idea about what she brings to the court.

“I’m pretty disheartened a little bit, but I know I worked hard and made that big achievement of making the team,” she said Tuesday after having a cast removed from her hand and a splint applied in the Sault.

“My dreams aren’t completely gone. I’ve just got to keep working hard. The best part about it is I made it, and so my name is within Canada basketball,” she said. “I’m in the program.”

Policicchio recently completed her freshman year at Idaho State University, a Division 1 NCAA team that is part of the Big Sky Conference.

The six-foot-one forward is a biology major on a full-ride scholarship at the university that located in Pocatello, Idaho, about 200 kilometres north of Salt Lake City, Utah.

She was not originally invited to the Canadian national junior tryout camp, but Policicchio earned a spot after a strong performance at an open identification camp in Coquitlam, B.C., in early May.

She was named to the national junior team June 28.

Policicchio said she was sidelined because of injury, not because she was cut from the Canadian team. But now she must act like she was cut from the squad and strive to earn an invite to the senior national team or the senior development team in 2014.

“I’ve just got to stay in shape and keep pushing through it,” she said. “It’s like my foot is in the door … Hopefully next year I’ll be invited perhaps to the try out instead of having to go to an open identification session (again).”

Policicchio broke the baby finger on her left hand at the joint during a scrimmage at training camp last Tuesday. She was reaching for a pass while going for a lay-up when a defender deflected the ball.

“So instead of going to my right hand, it hit straight on, on my pinky,” she said.

Policicchio has had sprained fingers and dislocated digits before as it comes with the territory. But it soon became evident this injury was a bit more serious.

“I thought for sure it was dislocated. And then the trainer put it back in place and she said, ‘Oh, it’s not really sitting quite right, so we’re going to take you to the ER.’ It ended up being fractured.”

She saw a hand specialist in Oshawa and a cast was put on. Policicchio practised sprints with the team the next day, but returned to the Sault last Friday.

“After four weeks, I’ll be able to start taping it and doing skill work again,” she said. “By September I’ll be able to play.”

Just in time to return to Idaho State and suit up with the Bengals one week after classes begin Aug. 27.

Although it “was rough” missing out on a chance to play with the Canadian juniors at the world championships later this month, Policicchio said the team was very good to her. They named her an honorary captain, which means a different player on the squad will carry the title in honour of her at each game they play in Europe.

Policicchio played senior basketball all four years in high school at St. Mary’s College. She won the Referees Award as the player best combining sportsmanship with ability during her final year in 2011-12.